The ability to view, measure and record characteristics of biological samples or an organism's behavior lies at the heart of scientific investigation. The overall objective ofthe Integrative Imaging Core (IIC) is to provide skilled and knowledgeable staff to apply state-of-the-art imaging-based technologies to KIDDRC research programs. HC is the product of systematic evolution devoted to meeting the imaging needs of KIDDRC investigators. Originally established in 1978 as a histology core, it evolved and expanded to incorporate image analysis in 1990, was enhanced with the advent of digital imaging in 1997, and incorporated microarray capabilifies in 2002. The core underwent a transformation in 2007 when it moved to space designed specifically for the HC in the Hemenway Life Sciences Innovation Center (HLSIC) and received over $3M for major equipment. The HC confinues to evolve with the establishment of a formal partnership with the Hoglund Brain Imaging Center (HBIC). HC incorporates into one package a variety of resources with the common thread that they are all based on approaches that incorporate or support imaging technologies (a microarray scanner is, after all, little more than a fancy confocal microscope). We have attempted to integrate these technologies as a continuum;from molecule to cell to whole organism, and many KIDDRC programs embrace all or a part of this confinuum. The vertical integration of HC facilitates access and coordination of these technologies by providing centralization and one-stop shopping, and encourages Pls to adopt multidisciplinary approaches to research problems.